NBA Player News

Boucher produced 23 points (9-14 FG, 5-8 3Pt), 12 rebounds, one block and one steal over 27 minutes during Thursday's 132-126 loss to Cleveland.

The Raptors might have lost to the Cavaliers on Thursday, but Boucher had an impressive performance off the bench. The big man drained a season-high five threes en route to posting his second-best scoring mark of the campaign, as well as a season-best output in rebounds. Boucher has scored in double digits in his last two games, as well as in five of his previous eight, but he won't have a lot of upside if he continues to see under 20 minutes per game on a steady basis.

Nurkic (coach's decision) didn't play during Thursday's 123-115 win over the Hawks.

Despite being available for Thursday's contest, Nurkic failed to log any playing time. Since returning from his three-game suspension, the 30-year-old center has been removed from the starting lineup and has now fallen out of the rotation altogether. Mason Plumlee and Oso Ighodaro soaked up all of the center minutes against Atlanta, and it will be worth monitoring to see if this trend continues.

Capela closed Thursday's 123-115 loss to the Suns with 10 points (4-11 FG, 2-2 FT), 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal over 26 minutes.

Capela and Onyeka Okongwu continued their timeshare at center, but Capela had the better total over his teammate in the loss. The veteran was mentioned consistently as a trade target in the offseason, but the Hawks would be very thin inside if they dealt him now, and Okongwu sometimes struggles when given the starting nod.

Clingan ended Thursday's 117-111 loss to the Mavericks with 11 points (4-4 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-3 FT), 11 rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 24 minutes.

The Trail Blazers slid Clingan in for Deandre Ayton, who had a difficult time getting past Dereck Lively. Clingan was more effective, although he enjoyed more success when Daniel Gafford was on the floor. Ayton and the Trail Blazers are bound to part ways eventually, and although Clingan still needs more seasoning, he may end up with an enhanced role if a potential suitor emerges with a deal for Ayton that the team can't pass up.

Lively ended with 21 points (9-13 FG, 3-3 FT), 15 rebounds, one assist and three blocks in 35 minutes during Thursday's 117-111 victory over the Trail Blazers.

Lively held down the frontcourt effectively, racking up a great line while containing Deandre Ayton's production. Donovan Clingan has a bit more success against Lively, but the 2023 first-round pick was nonetheless impressive. Daniel Gafford managed only 10 minutes during Thursday's win, so it appears that Lively is strengthening his hold on the starting job.

Bitadze tallied 15 points (7-12 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, three blocks, two assists and one steal over 30 minutes in Thursday's 104-89 loss to Minnesota.

Bitadze did a little bit of everything for Orlando in Thursday's battle, leading all Magic players in scoring and blocks while ending two rebounds shy of a double-double in a losing effort. Bitadze has posted at least 10 points and eight boards in 17 contests this season, and he recorded his eighth outing with three or more blocks.

Reid finished with 16 points (5-9 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 4-6 FT), three rebounds, two steals, one assist and one block over 23 minutes in Thursday's 104-89 win over Orlando.

Reid continues to be the top producer off the Timberwolves bench this season, doing so again in Thursday's contest while leading all bench players in scoring to go along with team-high-tying marks in steals and blocks in a winning effort. Reid has scored 15 or more points in 16 contests this season, doing so in three of his last five appearances.

Jokic (illness) is listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Nets.

Jokic is in jeopardy of missing his third consecutive contest due to the illness. If the superstar big man remains sidelined, DeAndre Jordan and Dario Saric are candidates for increased roles. Jokic has averaged 36.6 points, 15.0 rebounds, 10.6 assists and 1.6 steals across 37.0 minutes per game in his last five outings.

Sharpe (illness) is available for Friday's game against Denver, Brian Lewis of the New York Post reports.

Sharpe will return to game action after missing Wednesday's loss to Detroit due to the illness. Over his last 10 appearances, the big man has averaged 6.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists across 16.9 minutes per contest.

Okongwu (face) is available for Thursday's game against the Suns, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Okongwu was questionable due to a facial contusion, but the big man will be available for this matchup. Even though he's likely to come off the bench behind Clint Capela, Okongwu should see enough minutes to be relevant in most formats Thursday.